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Development of the Show
Origins Blank Slate was originally an experimental variant of a Dungeons & Dragons 5e tabletop game. The premise that all of the players awoke with amnesia with a murdered person and the immediate assumption is that the PCs did it. However, instead of the DM narrating the scene, the DM would ask details surrounding the murder and treat those details as part of the story. The emphasis was on collaborative storytelling and it lasted for four games. In addition to this game, each player was given a 20-page notebook where they could write player notes. They were allowed to pick any three spells or feats and could put it on any of the 20 pages. On a critical success, they can roll a d20 and if there is a feat or spell, they gained that ability as part of their memory. If it was blank, the DM narrates clues to solving the murder mystery. In a critical fail, a d20 is rolled and that page is torn out. If page 1 is torn out, they don't remember their own real name. If page 20 is torn out, they don't remember their true nature. The game is a combination of debilitating memory, collaborative storytelling, and a murder mystery. Reuben Bresler who played Objector and Eddie Roze who played Pen and Sword were two of the original players from this game and brought into the Blank Slate LARP show. Turning Blank Slate into a show There were five studios willing to host this original D&D concept, however, Ryan chose Scabby Rooster after seeing some of their innovative programmings, especially when it came to LARP. Nox asked Ryan to consider turning Blank Slate into a LARP rather than a D&D show based on his familiarity with running LARP games. Ryan's immediate response was "Give me a week." When converting the tabletop show to a LARP show, the following was adjusted: * Removing the table so the audience felt they were not watching a tabletop game * Costuming was a requirement. The theme would be arcanapunk (similar to steampunk or earlier in aesthetic) * Props would need to be real, not imagined, since they were key to making this LARP feel realistic. * Settings would be narrated rather than having set changes. Changes in rooms would be done with light cues. * The memory book was removed but the original premise of a murder mystery was retained. * A clear need to involve the audience/chat in the show rather than have the audience observe the live game. This was done by sending messages to the players or donating props that the players can use (and determine their effects) in the show. * The system would be diceless. To keep the collaborative storytelling, an original game system needed to be developed, called the Blank Slate Rule Set (see Roleplay Game Mechanics) * Rather than have players improvise all of their backgrounds like in the tabletop, a one-page background to keep the characters grounded in the same world. Ryan would write the backgrounds for the NPCs, the PCs would write their own backgrounds before the amnesia struck. A Dry Run of the show took place a week before where many tweaks were made, including adjusting for camera positions and player expectations. Blank Slate premiered March 12, 2019.